Roller tractor



June 7, 1927.

R. W. KEELER ROLLER TRACTOR Filed April 15, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 OOOOOOOO IZM/feeler June 7,1927. 1,631,271

, R. w. KEELER ROLLER TRACTOR 7 Filed April 15, 1926 2 sh t -51 2 Patented June 7, 1927.

UNITED STATES.

KEELER, GALION, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE GALION IRON WORKS MFG. (30., OF GALION, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF'OHIO.

RAYMOND W.

. 1, 31,271 PATENT OFFICE.

ROLLER TRACTOR.

Application filed April 15, 1926. Serial No. 102,252.

This invention relates to road rollers such as are used in road making and repairingand particularly to those road rollers which have two forwardly disposed rollers and a rear roller mounted between the forwardly disposed rollers.

One of the objects of the present invention is to so mount the rear roller of a roller tractor that the rear roller may be depressed. and raised, thus permitting the rear roller to be used for packing dirt in service ditches where it is required that the earth be forced down under relatively great pressure in a relatively narrow ditch or trench,'or it may be used where it is necessary, for instance, to compact or press down a strip of asphalt or other material to form a sub-base over which a layer of concrete is to-be placed.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which is capable of supporting rolls of various widths and by which the rolls may be forced downward from the I level of the road a distance of up to ten a distance above the road after all air or other motive fluid has escaped from the operating cylinder.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description. p

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the rear end of a roller tractor having my invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation partly broken away and showing the rear roller raised;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through the rear roller and its yoke; I

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic rear elevation showing the main rollers of the tractor and the depressible roller in applied position.

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates a plate or other supporting means, which is bolted or otherwise attached to the rear end of a road roller. Pivotally mounted upon the side walls of the body of the roller are ihe vertically shiftable links 11 and 12, these links beingmounted upon the body of the roller and operating in the manner of the links used for operating the scarifier shown in the patent to H. D. Jones, No. 1,429,144, granted. September 12, 1922. v v

The rear ends of the links 11 and 12 carry transverse rods 13 upon which are mounted the oppositely disposed draw plates 14. These plates are angular in form and at their forward ends apertured'fOr the passage of the rodsor pintles 13. These pintles are detachable and held in place by means of cotter pins 15, or any other suitable instrumentalities. The rear ends of the plates normally extend in an approximately horizontal plane and bolted to these plates is the U-shaped yoke or arch 16. This yoke may be formed along its rear margin w th a flange 17 against which the rear ends of the drawplates 14 may abut.

Mounted upon the transverse portion of this yoke 16 arethe half bearings 18 and bolted to the inner faces of the downwardly extending arms of the yoke are 'the' axle bearings 19 which support the axle 20 for the roller 21., This roller may be of any suitable construction and preferably has a medially disposed oil cavity and is mounted upon bushings immediately surrounding the axle 20 at opposite ends of the hub of the roller. Means are provided whereby the axle may be lubricated.

, Mounted upon brackets 22 in turn supported by theplate 10, are the transverse I trunnions 23 of a cylinder 24. This cylinder is thus mounted for rocking movement and operating within the cylinder is a piston 25, the piston rod of which extends downward through the cylinder and through a suitable stufling box in the lower end of the cylinder, and has detachable engagement at its lower end with the yoke 26. This yoke has trunnions 27 held in the half bearings 18 by complementary half bearings 18".

. Suitable means isprovided whereby compressed air may be admitted into one end of the cylinder or the other to thereby lift or depress the piston and raise or lower the roller. I have illustrated for this purpose such piston controlling means as is Elli) illustrated in the Patent No. 1,429,144

granted September 12, 1922, but Ido not wish 'to be limited to this as any means might be provided for this'purpose. Thus, I have illustrated a four way controlling valve 28 mounted above the cylinder 24 and having a controlling handle 29.

Extending from this four way valve 28 is a pipe 30 which extends to the lower end. of the cylinder and a pipe 31 extends into the upper end of the cylinder. A pipe 32 constitutes an exhaust pipe and there is provided a supply pipe 33. Any other arrangement of valves" may be used, however, and either steam or compressed air may be used 'as a motive fluid.

Also mounted upon a trunnion 23 inward of the bearing bracket therefor, is a two-part collar 34 which carries upon it a downwardly and rearwardly extending shank 35 hav' ing a hook 36 at its lower end adapted to hook beneath the yoke 17. This collar 34 is pended claims.

It is designed that the rollers shall be of diflerent widths dependent upon the work to be done and to provide either scarifying bars adapted to' be connected to the links 11 i and 12 and to the cylinder as described in the patent to H. D. Jones previously referred to or to remove the scarifying bars and substitute the roller attachment which I have described.

In'the use of this device the main rollers I 38 travel on each side of the ditch and the roller 20 is forced down into the. ditch or cut to thereby compress the earth therein. Thus service ditches or trenchesimay be filled r nearly to the surface of the roadway, then the earth compressed to permit the road surface to be applied thereto or where the subbase of a roadway has been'dug up, as for the purpose of laying pipe, and a new subbase put in, this roller may be used for rolling this sub-base and then a regular roller or'this roller be used for rolling the concrete forming the surface of the road, thus doing away with the necessity of tamping the earth orthe material of the sub-base by hand, thus eliminating any tendency of the repaired portion of'the roadway to sink.

I claim 1 1. In a roller tractor, a roller and a frame supporting the same, links pivotally connecting the frame to. the sides of the tractor, and valve controlled means for raising or de: pressing the roller, including a cyllnderunounted upon the tractor, a piston operatively connected to the roller supporting frame, and means for applying fluid pressure to one side or the other of the piston.

2. In a roller tractor, a, yoke upon wh ch.

the roller is mounted, links operatively connected to the yoke and pivoted to the sides of the tractor to permit vertical movement of theroller,a cylinder mounted on trunnions upon the tractor, a piston operating therein and having a piston rod 'pivotally connected to the yoke, and manually controlled meansfor admittin above or beneath the piston.

3. In a roller tractor, laterally disposed forward rollers, a rearwardly disposed roller mounted between the first named rollers and movable in a vertical plane, and manually controlled means for raising of depressing the last named roller, the last named roller having a width less than the distance between the inner faces of the first named rollers.

4. In a roller tractor, laterally disposed forward rollers, a rear relatively narrow roller'less in width than the distance between the inner faces of the forward rollers, a. yoke supporting said last named roller, links operatively pivoted to the yoke and pivoted to the sides of the tractor frame, a cylinder mounted in trunnions on the rear of the tractor frame and havin a piston and .a piston rod, the piston rod dieing pivotally connected to the yoke, and manually controlled means for directing fluid pressure into the cylinder above or beneath the piston.

g fluid pr easure 5. In a roller tractor, a rear roller mounted for movement'in a vertical plane, laterally disposed forward rollers, the rear roller'havinga width less than the distance between the forward rollers, fluid operated means .mounted upon the rear of the tractor for raising or depressing the rearroller, and means independent of the fluid operated means for holding the rear roller raised.

6. In a roller tractor, a rear roller mounted for movement in a vertical plane, laterally disposed forward rollers, the rear roller having a width less than. the distance between the forward rollers, fluid operated means mounted upon the rear of the tractor for raising or depressing the rear roller including a cylinder, trunnions 'for the cylinder supported in bearings upon the rear end of the tractor, a piston operating within the cylinder and having-a piston rod, a yoke pivotally connected to the piston rod and upon which the rear roller is mounted, a

hook shiftable into position to engage said I yoke when the roller ,is raised or release said yoke, and manually operable means for shifting the hook into or out of position.

7. In a roller tractor, a rear roller mounted for movement in a vertical plane, laterally disposed forward rollers, the rear roller having a width less than the distance between the forward rollers, fluid operated means mounted upon the rear of the tractor for raising or depressing the rear roller ineluding a cylinder, trunnions for the eylin der supported in bearings upon the rear end of the tractor, a piston operating Within the cylinder and having a piston rod, a yoke pivotally connected to the piston rod and upon which the rear roller is mounted, a hook having a. collar at its upper end rotatably engaging one of said trunnions, a lever engaging said collar whereby the hook may be shifted into or out of position to engage the yoke, the hook being adapted to hold the roller in raised position when inengagement therewith.

8. A road vehicle of the class described,- having in combination, a vehicle frame, a roller carried by said frame for rolling the contents of a trench below the level of a road as the vehicle travels over the road, and fluid operable means for lowering and rais- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

RAYMOND W. KEELER.

ing said roller into and out of the trench. 2o 

